Dear Joan:
Several years ago I was promoted from the Accounts Payable Supervisor to the Accounting Manager, who oversees both the Accounts Payable Department (A/P) and the Accounts Receivable Department (A/R). Against my recommendation, one of the A/P clerks was promoted to A/P Supervisor.
 
This person had very limited experience and no formal training in accounting but they thought I’d be able to mold and train her. She spent many days in my office crying and feeling overwhelmed. I took time to reassure her and advise her on how to handle situations at hand. It has been a rough two years trying to mold this employee, tackling staffing issues and staying on top of my responsibilities. My professional relationship with her has always been good and she has continued to report directly to me.
 
One of this supervisor’s biggest faults is her lack of communication skills. We have discussed this topic often. Recently, I confronted her about her work being extremely behind and the fact that she didn’t tell me about it. She said she doesn’t want to talk to me. In addition, she has told me “No,” when I asked her to come to my office to finish another heated discussion about another matter.
 
Now, she has an attitude about me for some reason. When I leave her alone, she’s fine but when I inquire about situations as her manager, she becomes very defensive.
 
My boss, the controller, knows about this situation and yet won’t support me to fix this problem. This supervisor has been going around me directly to him for the last year, which has complicated communication even further. I will make specific requests of this employee and she will go to the controller to override my decision.
 
I have come to the conclusion that she lacks the leadership skills, communication skills and technical skills and I feel we should make a change in personnel.  Of course the controller disagrees with me. I feel that I have done all I can to help her succeed. I feel the controller is making a fool of me by allowing this supervisor to go around the proper chain of command and override decisions that I have clearly discussed with him in the past.
 
How long should this be allowed to go on? Am I doing something wrong? I don’t want to leave but something has to be done.
 
Answer:
The main thing you have “done wrong” is to stay silent for too long. Your manager, the controller, is cutting your legs out from under you and leaving you with no real authority to direct the work of your employee. Most people in your shoes (and believe me, there are plenty) want to say to their boss in frustration, “Okay, I give up. Why don’t you just manage my employees for me?”
 
If you are doing something “wrong” your manager is at fault for not telling you. Yes, I suspect that your employee has been seeking your boss’s support at your expense. She may have done some serious damage to your reputation.
 
Perhaps when you began to hold her accountable for producing results, she ran for cover and a sympathetic ear. Sometimes under-skilled people, who know they are over their heads, try to save their jobs by desperately trying to build supporters and discredit their boss, whom they know is in a position to expose their inadequacy and remove them from their jobs.
 
I suggest that you go to your manager and tell him that your leadership authority is being undercut when he overrides your decisions. Explain that you would prefer it if he would discuss these issues with you, come to a joint decision, and then support you when she tries to lobby him for a change in her favor. Clearly spell out what this has done: give him specific examples of situations when this supervisor has been insubordinate and refused to do something you’ve asked her to do.
 
Ask him if he has some concerns about your leadership ability. If he dodges the question, say, “You must feel I’m not a good manager or you wouldn’t be overriding my decisions. If either of you have concerns about something I’m doing, I feel it’s only fair that you tell me, so that you have the benefit of both sides of the story.”
 
Judging by the way that he has handled this situation, your manager may not have strong leadership or communication skills. He needs to know that this is unworkable for you. Unfortunately, he may not have the skills or the spine to do anything about it. It would be wise to start looking for another opportunity, just in case the damage is worse than you think.
 

Joan Lloyd is a Milwaukee-based executive coach, organizational & leadership development strategist.  She has a proven track record spanning more than 20 years, and is known for her ability to help leaders and their teams achieve measurable, lasting improvements.  Email your question to Joan at info@joanlloyd.com<mailto:info@joanlloyd.com> and visit www.JoanLloyd.com<http://www.joanlloyd.com/> to search an archive of more than 1500 of Joan’s articles. Contact Joan Lloyd & Associates (414) 354-9500. ©Joan Lloyd & Associates, Inc.